When Icicles Hang by the Wall, and Dick the Shepherd Blows His Nail 

Edward Robert Hughes made this painting with oil on canvas around 1906. The artist uses a traditional medium to depict the unglamorous realities of rural life, blurring the lines between fine art and social commentary. Hughes’s application of paint, with delicate brushstrokes, captures the harshness of winter. The cold permeates every detail, from the rough texture of the stone wall to the shepherd boy’s red cheeks. The artist paid close attention to the materials involved in the shepherd’s life. We see wool in his socks, sturdy leather in his boots, and of course, the wooden staff that is essential to his work. Each of these elements speaks to the labor required to survive in a rural environment. By focusing on the material culture of this young shepherd, Hughes elevates the everyday into the realm of high art, reminding us that artistic expression can be found in the most unexpected places.